Our Staff

Jim has been a registered lobbyist, has chaired or managed statewide initiative campaigns (No on Proposition 51 [tort reform], Yes on 112 [constitutional ethics reform] and Yes on 131 [campaign finance reform]), and has assisted drafting portions of several other initiatives. He has also been involved in the passage of and amendments to California's pioneering anti-SLAPP law, Code of Civil Procedure §425.16, and has successfully used these laws in venues throughout the state for a wide variety of clients.

In the past, Jim served as Executive Director of California Common Cause, as the Supervising Attorney for the Center for Public Interest Law, as a Fellow and Of Counsel to Public Advocates, taught First Amendment Law at San Francisco State University's Journalism Department, and was a researcher for Ralph Nader's Center for Study of Responsive Law. He also served as a Co-Chair of the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists Freedom of Information Committee, and in 1993 received the NC-SPJ's James Madison award for Pro Bono Counsel for his work and leadership on behalf of Freedom of Information. He is a 1984 graduate of Boalt Hall and a 1981 graduate of Brown University (1981).

Staff Attorney
Lynne joined ELF as Staff Attorney in February of 2006.  Her practice has included cases brought pursuant to Proposition 65, CEQA, the Clean Water Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the Consumers Legal Remedies Act.  Prior to joining ELF, Lynne worked for a small private firm in San Francisco that focused on environmental and consumer protection litigation.  Prior to that, she was in private practice.  She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Golden Gate University in May of 2002, and she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Women's Studies from the University of Minnesota. Her published work includes “Legal Introduction: Private Enforcement of Tobacco Laws Using California’s Business and Professions Code Section 17200”, which she co-authored with Jim Wheaton for the Technical Legal Assistance Center of the Public Health Institute.

Research Director
As Research Director for ELF, Alise investigates occupational, consumer and residential exposures to toxic chemicals. Prior to joining ELF, she worked on a broad range of public health and environmental justice issues including conflicts of interest on scientific advisory panels, fence-line community exposures to industrial chemicals, and children’s exposures to carcinogens from pharmaceuticals, baby care products and pressure treated wood. Alise began her career in toxics as the Research Director for a law firm representing injured chemical industry workers in Louisiana and East Texas (Cancer Alley). Her work researching the PVC plastics industry led to the expose' films “Trade Secrets,” Bill Moyers’ PBS documentary on the chemical industry, and “Blue Vinyl,” an award winning HBO documentary questioning the ecological and human health costs associated with the manufacture of PVC plastic. Alise received her B.A. in the Humanities and Social Thought Concentration from the Louisiana Scholars’ College in 1994.

Legal Fellow

Erin is a legal fellow specializing in both water quality and the public trust doctrine.  Erin seeks to improve the quality of California's waters by enforcing the California Clean Water Act's anti-degradation mandate and furthering the common law public trust doctrine.  Prior to joining ELF, Erin worked for a private, public interest environmental firm in Santa Monica where she practiced primarily under the California Environmental Quality Act.  Erin received her J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2006, with specializations in Environmental Law and Public Interest/Public Service.  She graduated in 2000 from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine with a B.A. in Environmental Science and Policy and a secondary concentration in Spanish.

Legal Fellow

Jennifer is a legal fellow specializing in public trust litigation and anti-degradation issues under the Clean Water Act.  Prior to joining ELF, Jenny was a trial attorney at a private firm.  She also worked as an attorney and environmental justice litigation consultant for cases relating to power plant permitting in Hayward, California.  Jenny received her J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law in May 2007 with a specialization in Environmental Law.  She received her B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy with minors i Economics and International Relations in 2004 from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Operations Director/Legal Administrator

Nicole Feliciano graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology in 2005.  Her quest for a socially rewarding way to earn a living led her to ELF.  After three years working for a private law firm, Nicole is happy to support an organization committed to Environmental and Social Justice.

Legal, Technical & Program Assistant

Monica Aguilar-Barriga, an Oakland resident, loves her job at the Public Interest Law Office - the managing hub of the Environmental Law Foundation and First Amendment Project.  She is a graduate of the California State University, East Bay with a B.A. in Art History and has worked for various non-profits in Chicago and San Francisco doing community organizing and outreach.  Her work at ELF and FAP continues to feed her desire to help provide social justice to the underserved and under represented.  Believing that art is as essential as clean air and free speech, she serves on the Board of Directors at Intersection for the Arts, in San Francisco.

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